Welcome to L.A. Street Names, the origin stories of street names across Los Angeles County, from the shortest cul-de-sacs to the longest boulevards. Mysteries solved, myths debunked, scandals exposed, history revealed. This is an ongoing project with more than 1,700 streets – and growing. See FAQ for more information.
Featured Major Street
Norwalk Boulevard
Norwalk originated as the name of a Southern Pacific railroad station between Downey and Anaheim on January 12th, 1875. The station was built on land deeded to the railroad by Gilbert Sproul (and his brother Atwood) in a mutually beneficial deal: the SPRR got to lay down tracks and Sproul got a station to bring people to the town he was planning. As for the name, modern historians believe “Norwalk” stems from “north walk”, referring to an old trail on Sproul’s property. But I prefer an older theory that railroad brakemen couldn’t pronounce the town’s original name, Corvallis, so one of them suggested his hometown of Norwalk, CT as a replacement. It is at least true that Sproul called his town Corvallis until 1878; the name is Latin for “heart of the valley”, and Sproul either coined it himself or stole it from Corvallis, OR. (He had previously lived in Oregon, but nowhere near Corvallis.)